So what have I learned? Well here’s a few things I’ve learned:

Focus;

Focus is important. Before I started my business I used to do a lot of surfing. When I came home from work I’d spend an hour or two surfing different sites and reading the posts. No More! Time is crucial and scarce. I have so many tasks to perform every day to keep the business going that I no longer waste any time. I focus my time on all the essential things I need to do to move the business forward. Time, I’ve discovered is the most important commodity we have and we can’t afford to waste it on mindless surfing. If it’s not helpful to my business I don’t do it. Don’t get me wrong I have my free time where I’ll pick up a good book and relax. During business time however I squeeze every last second out of the time I have available to add value to my business.

Reinvest

I have not, so far taken anything out of the business. Every penny I make I reinvest into new stock. This has meant I have increased my stock from the first few items I started with to hundreds of products. I also have plenty of money sloshing around my business account. Everythimg I make is reinvested in adding value to the business. I’m looking to invest in a good stock control system to make the process of running the business faster. Money is the driving engine of business so keeping it in the business is important in my opinion. The profit will come later.

Get Out Of The Comfort Zone

I’ve discovered it’s so easy to reach a level and get comfortable. To move forward you have to increase you goals. Think big and go for it. Set your goals high and you will stretch yourself to achieve them. Set them too low and you will get stuck in a rut and never progress. Keep driving forward. If you’ve got a monthly turnover of £3000 re-evaluate and set it to £6000 then push for it.

Get Some Business Systems In Place

What do I mean by business systems? Anything that makes it easier to sell your products, take payment and deliver them. My business is simple. I sell art products. When a customer buys something from me I want to process the order fast and efficient. So I invest in a good software package that keeps track of everything. I have an account with royal mail so I can print address labels off direct and pay for them online. This means that I don’t have to waste time in the post office. I keep databases to make record keeping easier. As my business grows I need to come up with better and more efficient systems. I’m always on the look out for anything that will make the business run more efficiently.

Constant Learning Is Essential

Everything in life is moving so fast we need to keep abreast of developments if we are to survive and grow. Close your mind and your business may soon follow. We need to read, read and read about new marketing techniques, website optimization new products the list is endless. I’ve always been a big reader but I’ve learned to speed-read to assimilate fast all the information I need to function in the business world. Mt pleasure reading is different ffrom my business reading. I’ve started to use a software program to help me speed-read books or articles I consider essential to grow my business.

Well these are just a few of the things I’ve learned over the last year. My biggest lesson though is to use time productively. Make use of every second of your business time. The hours just fly past, but I get a great sense of satisfaction when I know I have used my business time productively.

So what have I learned? Well here’s a few things I’ve learned:

Focus;

Focus is important. Before I started my business I used to do a lot of surfing. When I came home from work I’d spend an hour or two surfing different sites and reading the posts. No More! Time is crucial and scarce. I have so many tasks to perform every day to keep the business going that I no longer waste any time. I focus my time on all the essential things I need to do to move the business forward. Time, I’ve discovered is the most important commodity we have and we can’t afford to waste it on mindless surfing. If it’s not helpful to my business I don’t do it. Don’t get me wrong I have my free time where I’ll pick up a good book and relax. During business time however I squeeze every last second out of the time I have available to add value to my business.

Reinvest

I have not, so far taken anything out of the business. Every penny I make I reinvest into new stock. This has meant I have increased my stock from the first few items I started with to hundreds of products. I also have plenty of money sloshing around my business account. Everythimg I make is reinvested in adding value to the business. I’m looking to invest in a good stock control system to make the process of running the business faster. Money is the driving engine of business so keeping it in the business is important in my opinion. The profit will come later.

Get Out Of The Comfort Zone

I’ve discovered it’s so easy to reach a level and get comfortable. To move forward you have to increase you goals. Think big and go for it. Set your goals high and you will stretch yourself to achieve them. Set them too low and you will get stuck in a rut and never progress. Keep driving forward. If you’ve got a monthly turnover of £3000 re-evaluate and set it to £6000 then push for it.

Get Some Business Systems In Place

What do I mean by business systems? Anything that makes it easier to sell your products, take payment and deliver them. My business is simple. I sell art products. When a customer buys something from me I want to process the order fast and efficient. So I invest in a good software package that keeps track of everything. I have an account with royal mail so I can print address labels off direct and pay for them online. This means that I don’t have to waste time in the post office. I keep databases to make record keeping easier. As my business grows I need to come up with better and more efficient systems. I’m always on the look out for anything that will make the business run more efficiently.

Constant Learning Is Essential

Everything in life is moving so fast we need to keep abreast of developments if we are to survive and grow. Close your mind and your business may soon follow. We need to read, read and read about new marketing techniques, website optimization new products the list is endless. I’ve always been a big reader but I’ve learned to speed-read to assimilate fast all the information I need to function in the business world. Mt pleasure reading is different ffrom my business reading. I’ve started to use a software program to help me speed-read books or articles I consider essential to grow my business.

Well these are just a few of the things I’ve learned over the last year. My biggest lesson though is to use time productively. Make use of every second of your business time. The hours just fly past, but I get a great sense of satisfaction when I know I have used my business time productively.

To build a successful work from home business you need to ask yourself a few questions such as:

1. Do you have the determination to learn the correct methods and to overcome all obstacles?

2. Which things are you the best at doing?

3. What can you offer your customers that will satisfy their greatest needs?

4. Are you sufficiently knowledgeable in the area/s you would like to work, or is more research and training necessary?

5. Who are your potential customers and how and where will you find them?

6. Who are your competitors and how can you do things differently to gain the edge over them?

7. Are you self motivated and prepared to work hard?

8. Can you cope with all of the necessary tasks each day to make your business run smoothly?

If your answers to these questions were mostly negative then you are not ready to begin your business yet, and you need to do plenty of research in those areas and/or get some training. If your answers were all positive then well done, and what are you waiting for? Just believe in yourself and take all actions necessary to make your business prosper.

No job is safe from being contracted out. I was reading about a company in India, which specialized In western law. This company employs hundreds of Indian lawyers who specialize in the laws of western countries, mainly English speaking ones, and they offer their services for a fraction of the cost of employing a western-based lawyer. So out sourcing has even caught up with the lawyers now. No one is safe.

Using the internet for outsourcing work is a growing trend. It makes rational sense. There are websites devoted totally to outsourcing, where people put pages up about themselves and their skills. Most of these people are highly skilled and educated. You can, for example, hire someone with a PHD in physics, for a few hundred dollars a month from the Far East. These people prefer to outsource their skills and earn five times more money than they can earn in their domestic market and who can blame them.

They have created a good lifestyle for themselves. Working from home for western companies. Or even for people in the west running their own home business from home.

It’s from the internet that the threat to many traditionally safe jobs is coming. But every threat carries within itself a cure. It’s through the internet that middle-aged people in the west can fight back. If you’re approaching middle-age and you’re not familiar with computers and the internet start learning now. It’s the safety rope that may stop you falling into the depths of poverty in your old age.

The internet is threatening many traditional jobs in the west but it is also offering fantastic opportunities for middle-aged people to start their own businesses and earn their income without leaving their homes. There are literally hundreds of ways to make an income online. With the right mind-set and application anyone can do it. I’m not talking about making thirty of forty thousand a month, but you could, I’m talking about spending a few hours every day on an internet business that will return you an income.